Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Paragraph: 75
Before the pandemic there were serious concerns about the mental health of our children and...
Conclusion
Before the pandemic there were serious concerns about the mental health of our children and young people. The pandemic has exacerbated an existing crisis in mental health, with as many as 1 in 6 children aged 6–16 years old now suffering from a probable mental health condition. It is vital that swift action is taken to support all children and young people to build their resilience and ensure they get the support they need, when they need it.
Paragraph Reference:
75
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
70. Mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Government, and we remain committed to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges. 71. As part of the Department’s commitment in the ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper’, by 2025 all state schools will have had the opportunity to train a senior mental health lead in how to lead a ‘whole school’ approach to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing. Over 8000 schools and colleges have already claimed a Senior Mental Health Lead training grant. 72. Participation in varied activities can bring many benefits to children and young people’s mental health, confidence, social skills and general wellbeing. They are part of a rich school week and can also play a key role in engaging pupils and supporting attainment as part of recovery and catch-up. Decisions about what activities to offer are made by schools, who are best placed to design an enrichment offer to meet the needs of their pupils. To support them to do this, DfE intends to work with schools and MATs with broad enrichment and extracurricular offers to develop a handbook for schools focused on enrichment and extracurricular activities, which will emphasise include how such provision can be used to support pupil mental wellbeing. Government funding such as pupil premium and recovery premium may already be used by schools to tackle non- academic barriers to success by introducing evidence-based approaches to providing emotional support and promoting wellbeing.